


is my love reason enough (for you to stay)?

by SokkaWithHisHairDown



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Caleb Covington Being a Bastard, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Evil Caleb Covington, First Kiss, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, Mentioned Caleb Covington, Willie Loves Alex Mercer (Julie and The Phantoms), honestly i can't say i hate caleb enough he's just the worst, s2 prediction, this is very angsty and soft, willie is dying oh no
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,047
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28346073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SokkaWithHisHairDown/pseuds/SokkaWithHisHairDown
Summary: Another jolt rang through his head, more violent than its preceding one, and Alex braced his arms around Willie to keep him upright. His cheek was firmly against the other’s ear, and he felt like he was dying because Willie was dying—Willie was dying again.“Don’t talk like that.” Alex squeezed his eyes shut and forced his knees to stop shaking. “Please, don’t talk like that. Don’t.”Willie seemed to grasp that Alex wasn’t really even speaking to him anymore. Alex was scared and holding onto Willie tighter than he’d ever held onto anyone before, and he was whispering reassurances and pleading for comfort because he was terrified.“Okay,” Willie whispered, growing drowsy, “okay.”
Relationships: Alex Mercer/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms)
Comments: 25
Kudos: 194





	is my love reason enough (for you to stay)?

**Author's Note:**

> Rating is for topics of death. Nothing super dark, though. Fairly canon-typical.  
> This is my first work for this fandom I'm publishing on Ao3, so I hope you enjoy! Feel free to chat with with me on tumblr @willex-n-waffles.

Fingers gripped the fabric of Alex’s hoodie desperately, clinging on as though letting go would be death. (In a way, it would be.)

“You’re okay,” Alex said aloud. His voice shook wetly and he knew he was reassuring _himself_ more than Willie at this point. “You’re gonna be okay. I promise.”

“No,” Willie breathed against Alex’s shoulder, trying not to let tears get in the way of his goodbye. “It’s over, man. It is. But _you’re_ gonna be okay. And that’s—I’m okay with that. I’m-”

Another jolt rang through his head, more violent than its preceding one, and Alex braced his arms around Willie to keep him upright. His cheek was firmly against the other’s ear, and he felt like he was dying because _Willie_ was dying—Willie was dying _again._

“Don’t talk like that.” Alex squeezed his eyes shut and forced his knees to stop shaking. “ _Please_ , don’t talk like that. Don’t.”

Willie seemed to grasp that Alex wasn’t really even speaking to him anymore. Alex was scared and holding onto Willie tighter than he’d ever held onto anyone before, and he was whispering reassurances and pleading for comfort because he was _terrified._

“Okay,” Willie whispered, growing drowsy, “okay.”

Alex nodded. Another shock to Willie’s head sent him stumbling to the ground.

Desperate not to let go, Alex willingly fell with him, and now they were both against the rain-slick, steel-reeking gravel in a back alley in LA.

They pushed themselves up into a sitting position and Willie was beginning to grow more limp, leaning into Alex.

He mumbled something soft and distorted, like he was losing his ability to be coherent, that sounded like, “I’m gonna miss you.”

Alex opened his eyes and craned his neck to look at the side of Willie’s head, and something like grief settled in his chest as the truth finally began to sink in. He was going to lose him. Willie was dying and Alex was going to lose him forever.

And he felt so stupidly _selfish_ because _was that all he could think about?_ What about Willie, who’d risked his safety time and time again for Alex and his family? What about Willie, who was brave enough to stand up to Caleb? What about Willie, who was here, in agony, suffering a second end, because of _Alex?_

What about Willie, who was the most selfless person Alex had ever known?

Grief was triumphed with shame. _I love him,_ Alex thought. That fact wasn’t new to him, but somehow it meant more now than ever before, and he never got to tell Willie.

He’d never told Willie.

_He’d never told Willie._

In a heartbeat, Alex grabbed Willie’s face, just as another shock hit him. Willie steadied himself and allowed Alex to move him so they were staring face to face, legs tangled up as they sat on the pavement.

“Willie,” Alex began, noting how hoarse he sounded. “Willie, can you hear me?”

Willie nodded a little and stared back with tired eyes.

“I need to tell you something. Before you go, I just— I need you to know something. Okay?”

Another nod. Willie pressed his cheek more firmly into Alex’s left hand. Alex almost melted in despair.

“Um.” The air felt stale and Alex knew another jolt was coming any second, and that that jolt could be the last one before- “You-you mean a lot to me, okay? A lot. You’ve been the best part of this whole ghost thing and I would’ve gone crazy without you, and I wanted to say that-that I really, really love you. A lot. A ton. I love you. I’m _in_ love with you. And I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you before. I’m sorry.”

Willie’s eyes were wider than before, and he seemed more awake at Alex’s declaration and he smiled, against all odds he was _smiling_ , and he opened his mouth.

“Me too.” He gasped for a breath. “Me too. I love you too, Alex. So much.” Willie was crying, crying a lot, and Alex used his thumbs to clear his cheeks of tear tracks.

And suddenly Alex was smiling too, and then-

And then Willie began to glow.

Alex choked on air, staring, and then realization washed over him because he could remember the same thing happening to him not so long ago. And Willie began to support his own weight again, slowly, and he finally let go of the sleeve of Alex’s hoodie to smooth his hand over it.

“Willie? Willie,” Alex said as Willie’s eyes looked down intensely, then around him, then at his hands, and then at Alex.

“I’m… I feel… okay.” He seemed to understand the words better as he said them, and repeated, “I feel okay.”

Something like a laugh—but was more likely a cry of relief—left Alex’s throat as he threw his arms back around Willie and hugged him so tightly it probably hurt, but Willie didn’t seem to mind as he hugged back.

A purple light ascended above them and through bleary eyes Willie recognized it as Caleb’s sigil dissipating into the air. Gone.

“What happened,” Alex murmured, face half-buried in Willie’s shoulder, “why are you—how are you okay?”

He felt Willie shake his head against him. “I don’t care. I don’t know and I _really_ don’t care right now.”

After a moment Alex pulled back and said, “Me neither.”

They were both smiling for a long moment, in silence, relief like a drug that would never wear off.

“Alex,” Willie said gently, grasping Alex’s hands, “what you said. Was that—I mean. Did you mean that?”

Alex felt something rise in his throat. He pushed it down and nodded eagerly. “Yeah,” he breathed, “yeah, I meant it.”

Willie grinned and lifted his wrist to wipe his eyes. “So would you mind if I totally kissed you right now? Like a lot?”

Alex giggled—and who _giggles_ at a time like this? Alex Mercer, apparently—and nodded his head even harder this time. “Yeah. I mean, no. I mean, I definitely wouldn’t mind if you kissed me a whole stupid lot right now.”

Willie nodded, grabbed Alex’s face, and did exactly as he said he would.

Alex worried he was smiling too much to kiss back.

(Willie didn’t mind.)

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! Feel free to leave a comment if you'd like, they're greatly appreciated. <3


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